The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in 2005 is an international agreement between industrialised and developing countries with a view to improving the quality of development cooperation.

Principles for sustainable development

The signatories of the Paris Declaration resolved to abide more closely by five specific principles in development cooperation:

• Strengthening partner country ownership
• Aligning development cooperation with national development strategies, institutions and procedures
• Harmonising donor activities
• Managing for results
• Mutual accountability
  

Besides the five principles, the Paris Declaration includes a catalogue of specific commitments for donors and partner countries. The success of joint efforts for effective aid is measured by twelve clearly-defined indicators with time frames.

Austrian contribution

Like most of the other states signatory, Austria has drawn an action plan for implementing the Paris Declaration. The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (MFA) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) are jointly engaged in implementation. Based on this plan, the prime intention is to raise the effectiveness of measures and especially to cater for the different circumstances in the partner countries. Progress to date was reviewed at a High Level Forum in September 2008 in the Ghanaian capital Accra.